Marin County sheriff's deputy dies in Highway 1 crash near Point Reyes Station

The life of a young Marin County sheriff’s deputy who recently purchased a home in Petaluma with his fiancee was cut short Thursday when his patrol car crashed into a tree near Point Reyes Station.

Ryan Zirkle, 24, a 2½-year member of the department, died at Petaluma Valley Hospital from injuries sustained in the early morning crash.

A graduate of San Marin High School in Novato, Zirkle would have turned 25 later this month. He was known for his ready smile, joyous demeanor and positive outlook, Sheriff Robert Doyle said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“He was enthusiastic,” Doyle said. “He wanted to serve his community that he grew up in.”

The deputy was working out of the department substation in Point Reyes Station and was on patrol shortly after midnight Wednesday when he and a partner patrolling elsewhere in the area were dispatched to respond to a 911-hangup call, Doyle said.

The partner arrived at the undisclosed location, where he observed nothing suspicious, but Zirkle did not, authorities said. In the meantime, a 911 caller reported a vehicle crash north of Point Reyes Station.

When repeated efforts to contact Zirkle failed, the partner was sent to check on his whereabouts.

He found Zirkle, crashed into a tree off the side of Highway 1 just north of Point Reyes Station.

The deputy lost control of his southbound car heading into a leftward bend on wet pavement, authorities said.

The driver’s side door absorbed the brunt of the impact, and it took emergency responders 35 minutes to cut the badly injured deputy from the wreckage, Doyle said. Zirkle was airlifted by REACH helicopter to Petaluma Valley Hospital, but died a short time later.

On-duty deputies escorted his body through the dark from the hospital to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office in Santa Rosa after his death, Doyle said.

Later Thursday, in the afternoon, a procession of at least 50 law enforcement vehicles from Marin and Sonoma counties, their lights flashing, drove through the rain to escort his remains from the Coroner’s Office to a funeral home in San Anselmo.

In addition to his fiancee, Zirkle is survived by his parents and two older brothers, Doyle said.

“As you can imagine, we’re grieving,” he said. “This is a very, very difficult time for Ryan’s family and the men and women of the organization. As you know, there’s no road map on how you get through things like this, but you know it’s not going to get better today or tomorrow. But, we’re resilient and we will be better.”

Zirkle earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Chico State University before finding his place in law enforcement.

For many in the department, “he’s a young kid,” Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve de la O said.

The CHP said the crash closed Highway 1 to traffic in both directions overnight. Both lanes of the roadway were reopened around?6:30 a.m., CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.